Patagonian cruise line, Australis, has revealed it will build a new ship tailor-made for ‘bottom of the world’ voyages.
To mark the announcement of the bigger vessel, scheduled for launch in late 2017, Australis is offering 30% discounts on six end-of-season sailings this March and April, with fares now available from only US$832 per person.
The new, as-yet unnamed, 200-passenger ship for Australis will replace the smaller, 136-passenger Via Australis, which was built in 2005 and will be sold to Lindblad Expeditions on completion of the current summer season in Patagonia. Meanwhile, Australis’ other ship, the 200-passenger Stella Australis, launched in 2010, will continue to offer expedition voyages through the channels and fjords of southern Chile during the next 2016/17 summer season until her new fleet-mate joins her for Australis’ 2017/18 programme.
“This represents a great opportunity for Australis to increase our offerings, with a faster, leaner and more modern ship, similar to the Stella Australis,” said Australis Market Manager for Australia, Michelle Mohaupt.
“More Australians are travelling to South America so the three- to seven-night Patagonian cruises Australis offers are an ideal add-on to an itinerary on the continent, with our sailings providing the only way to see the remote and spectacularly untouched scenery at the southern-most tip of South America, including Cape Horn,” she said.
Australis is the only operator to offer regular cruises through the region, with the family-owned Chilean cruise line also offering more opportunities for travellers to step ashore on fabled Cape Horn than any other line.
From September to April each year, Australis operates regular three- to seven-night expedition cruises from Ushuaia and Punta Arenas – the two southernmost towns in the world – through the mountain and glacier-lined fjords of Tierra del Fuego, the Magellan Strait and Beagle Channel. Included in fares are zodiac excursions ashore to places like Cape Horn, named 400 years ago this year by Dutch explorers, as well as Wulaia Bay and Pia Glacier. An average of seven massive tidewater glaciers can be seen on most Australis sailings while wildlife along the way includes elephant seals and Magellanic penguins.
Australis’ ships offer lounges, gym facilities and cabins with panoramic windows (almost floor to ceiling). All guests enjoy complimentary, guided excursions and nature lectures as well as a free open-bar. Cuisine aboard includes local dishes as well as Chilean and Argentine wines.
Last minute 30% discount
Until 11 March, a 30% discount is available on six sailings of three or four nights this March or April from Ushuaia or Punta Arenas aboard Stella Australis or Via Australis. These include a three-night, round-trip ‘End of the World’ sailing on 1 April 2016, from Ushuaia, including a visit to Cape Horn, on 1 April from US$832 per person, twin-share, including the 30% discount. Also discounted is a four-night ‘Patagonian Explorer’ sailing from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas, including Cape Horn, from 4 April 2016 from US$1008 per person, twin-share.
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